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Reissue of a underground early 70s rock gem. A charm with the hefty Rolling Stones influences so common of the day being reshaped by a strong Shadows of Knight snarl, all filtered through an early 70s heavy metal consciousness. A sound & style that although part & parcel to the stoner 70s mentality had a totally unique & refreshing approach that sounded as if it could stand on its own not only in '72 but '66, or even '87 for that matter."
Like most followers of rare seventies rock esoterica I first heard about HAVE YOU REACHED YET? via the pages of the now-legendary BOMP fanzine. It was the surf issue if I recall correctly, and editor Greg Shaw, in the course of a pretty positive review, mentioned Clap's ability to mix up what seemed like a healthy late-sixties punk rock attitude with the prevailing hard rock winds of the early-seventies from whence this album came, going so far as to mention the album's track "Only Just An Act" for its use of the opening theme of "Stairway to Heaven" as its basic riff. Not that I was exactly impressed any...after all I was reading this review in 1981 and hard/glam rock seemed like a bad ten-year-old memory I would have preferred to have forgotten entirely along with the "Flaccid Rock" FM sounds that were continuing to take the entire tri-state area by storm (much to the derision of real high energy rock & rollers everywhere!). And judging from the grumbles of disgust emanating from a large part of the listening population out there I certainly was not alone.
Fast forward a few years and I happen across a mention of Clap in the premier issue of the equally-legendard BACK DOOR MAN fanzine, this time within the course of a South Bay Scene Report which mentioned how lead vocalist Steve Morrison looked like Sky Saxon and had dressed up like a nazi going so far as to even attack a wheelchair-bound plant in the audience making me reconsider my original opines regarding this group! Coincidentally the album was making its rounds amongst the "serious collector" circuit in a reissue of dubious legality on the "Phaze II" label, and although the price was typically inflated given how the original edition was costing a pretty penny (that is, whenever a copy would come up for sale or auction) I willfully dished out my $15 for my very own copy and spent a good portion of the latter part of the eighties spinning this and many other sixties/seventies reissued gems that were finally being made available to the general populace too poor or stupid to latch onto it the first time around.
The album was a charm with the hefty Rolling Stones influences so common of the day being reshaped by a strong Shadows of Knight snarl all filtered through an early seventies heavy metal consciousness giving us...a sound and style that although part and parcel to the stoner seventies mentality had a totally unique and refreshing approach that sounded as if it could stand on its own not only in 1972 but 1966 or even 1987 for that matter. It was teenage rock & roll that continued to sound so long after the entire teen mystique of the sixties and seventies shriveled away, yet it was hard enough for even the most experienced pothead at the supermarket to roll joints to during his coffee break (though I don't know if this ever did come out on 8-track!).
Somehow I'm reminded of the Fleshtones. You might think of some other group of fame who did what Clap laid down on these ten numbers via this new, legitimate reissue which should do for a new generation of rock & roll fans what previous spins did for their elders. Nice package and fantastic sound accompany this one, and though some might think that the improvement in the aural ballistics deters from the cheap studio feeling I think it only adds a certain new dimension of quality, Plus you can hear Morrison's post-Jagger twang a whole lot better and the instruments do have that certain stand-out spark to 'em. So for you youngsters here's an example of what "do it yourself" rock used to mean when you pretty much had to create your own fun, energies, and lives even from scratch and for your oldsters, now's the time to drag out the boas, the mascara and the nylons and re-live the post-Vietnam era the right way. Of course if you get arrested don't come complain' to me, but then again wouldn't that only add to the overall glam/slam effect so common during those rather peculiar times?"
Track Listing :1. Out Of The Shadows
2. My Imagination
3. Middle Of The Road
4. Get It While You Can
5. Have You Reached Yet
6. Sweet Smell Of Success
7. Stop Torturing Me
8. Bluff 'Em All
9. Only Just An Act
10. Mornin' Thought""
